The Problems with Wishes
by SillyNiecy
Summary: Akane didn't know that when she made the wish that things between her and Ranma were better, the wish would be granted. And that things would get worse before they got better. Complete.
1. What's This?

Author's Notes This will be my first continuation, so please let me know what you think. By the way, I don't own any of these characters. At least, I think I don't and that would be why I have a gas-eating car and always eat at Taco Bell. (I love Taco Bell!). Enjoy!

**Chapter One: What's This? **

Akane and Ranma were arguing again. About what, no one knew for sure, but it may have had something to do with the fact that earlier, Shampoo had been hanging all over Ranma. One could wonder why Akane was so… jealous, but for the author's safety, we will not wonder overmuch about that.

"…stupid macho chick like you!" Ranma concluded his tirade angrily.

"Ranma you jerk!" Akane yelled, and stormed back to the classroom. She dropped unceremoniously onto her chair and commenced staring at the blackboard.

Outside, Ranma was defending himself against a crowd of boys.

"What's wrong with Akane, Ranma?" They chorused at him.

"If you don't want her, leave her to one of us!" Another yelled as the rest cheered in agreement.

"You guys just don't understand," Ranma growled. That said, he jumped into a tree to brood out of sight of his accusers.

Back in the classroom, Akane had laid her forehead on crossed arms, so she wouldn't have to look at anyone coming in the room. This suited Gosunkugi just fine. He crept almost silently into the room, holding a knotted, multicolored cord in one had tightly.

-_Now I can make Akane-sama love me!-_ Gosunkugi thought to himself. He stood next to Akane and held the wish cord, or himokimo, as it was sometimes called in his left hand, and was just about to make the wish for Akane to love him, when a troupe of girls burst into the classroom.

"Akane! Are you alright?" Asked one.

"Do you want us to pound him into the ground like the worthless pervert he is?" demanded another.

Gosunkugi had been extremely startled at the sudden infusion of girls, and had jerked back in surprise. Sadly for him, when he did this, the himokimo flew through the air and landed on Akane's desk.

"It's alright guys," came her muffled voice. She sat up slowly smiling a little sadly, "I've just got to ignore him. What's this?" She had picked up the wish cord.

-_Nooo! -_ Gosunkugi thought desperately. He had backed away from Akane and to his desk so he wouldn't attract unwanted attention from the girls, but now he struggled with the urge to jump forward and rip his himokimo from Akane's hands.

"Well, anyways," she continued, dismissing the cord as unimportant, "I wish things were better between us, but they are not." She sighed. (It is now **1:55 pm**, the time will be important later).

Gosunkugi felt his jaw dropping. –_Crap! It can only be used once! Oh no! And she doesn't know about the conditions either!-_ A himokimo could only be made once by any given person, once they made one, they were not allowed another. They also took lots of time, effort, and attention. He would never get another chance. No one, going through all that work, would simply give one up to him.

_ -One wish for months of effort… and I didn't even get to make my wish!-_ Gosunkugi stared dejectedly at his notebook. –_Ah!-_ he thought suddenly as he remembered something else, -_now poor Akane-sama will have to suffer for a time! Oh no…-_ Another definite rule of the himokimo was that things for the wisher would have to get worse before they got better. Sometimes much worse. Gosunkugi had prepared himself for that; he had been willing to suffer for years if he must, as long as his dear Akane-sama would eventually love him! Things between Ranma and Akane seemed stormy before, but things were going to be more than thunderous now. And Akane would be the one to suffer until the wish ran its course. There were all sorts of other things that could happen relating to the time of the wish and the person's present mood, it was a very complicated piece of work!

_ -Akane,-_ he thought, -_please be okay!-_ Gosunkugi had been thinking about all this as recess ended and students started coming back into the room. Akane discovered the himokimo again, and discarded it. Gosunkugi made no move to retrieve it, it was just a worthless piece of knotted string now.

Ranma, who had felt no change during his brooding in the tree, now strode into the room and dropped into his seat next to Akane, in front of Gosunkugi. He was scowling, and didn't even glance at Akane. She was watching him out of the corner of her eye, with a faint expressing of worry on her face. He ignored her. She frowned and turned her attention to Miss Hinako and the day's lesson.

After school, Akane waited for Ranma, as usual, so they could walk home together. He passed by her without looking at her.

"Ranma, wait for me!" she exclaimed, hurrying to catch up.

Ranma rounded on her angrily, "I don't want you near me, bitch!" he yelled at her. Akane, eyes wide, backed up and ran into a telephone pole. He was radiating fury. Suddenly, he pulled back his fist. Akane ducked, and he punched the phone pole. It broke, showering Akane with splinters. He looked down at her cowering from him and sneered. "Slut. Ugly. Bitch!" He spat, and continued towards the Tendo home once more.

Gosunkugi, watching from a safe distance away, winced and started towards home, planning to look up every scrap of information ever found on the himokimo. He had to fix things before Akane got hurt.

A few minutes after Gosunkugi had left Ryoga Hibiki found, er… happened upon Akane (we all know Ryoga can't even find the empty lot behind his house, so he didn't really find her, even if he was looking for her. Which he could have been).

"Akane Tendo?" Ryoga asked confusedly.

Akane, who until this point, had been sitting with her back against the remainder of the pole and her eyes on her lap, glanced up warily.

"Ryoga?"

"What happened here?" He asked, taking in the broken pole and Akane's disheveled appearance.

Akane, rightly guessing that Ryoga would get extremely angry if he knew this was Ranma's doing replied with, "Um… Kodachi…"

"Ah. That crazy ribbon freak." He nodded to himself, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just need to lie down or something."

"Let me escort you home, ok?" Ryoga suggested tentatively.

"Alright." Ryoga helped Akane to her feet, and she led the way home, Ryoga pacing steadily beside her.

"Well, thanks for walking me home." Akane was staring at the ground.

Ryoga didn't want to leave her like this, "Akane," he began hesitantly.

"Thanks again, Ryoga," with that, she slipped in the gate and shut it firmly behind her.

-_What could Kodachi have done?-_ Ryoga wondered vaguely, and started walking in the direction of Ucchan's (or so he thought…).

Akane hugged her schoolbag to herself and started thinking. –_A quick bath, then bed… Oh! What about dinner? I'll grab something and take it up to my room. I'll say I have a headache or something.-_ With that decided, Akane felt better.

"So," came a cold male voice from behind her, "I'm away from you for what, five minutes, and you are already all over another guy? You slut!" Akane, who had just started walking to the house, froze in place at the sound of his voice. She was scared. She dared to look behind her. Ranma was leaned almost casually against the wall by the gate, his arms were folded over his chest, and his foot was tapping a slow rhythm.

"He was just wal-" she tried to tell him.

"None of your excuses, whore!" he cut her off immediately. "I guess I'll have to teach you something about staying faithful," he advanced on her, slowly. Akane ran. Ran as hard and fast as she could, heading towards the safety of her eldest sister, Kasumi. Akane reached the domain of Kasumi, and was relieved to see her sister cooking dinner.

-_Good, something normal. I don't think I can tell her what is happening yet. At least I'll be safe with her.-_

"Can I help you with anything, Kasumi?" Akane asked.

"If you would get the plates and tableware and set all that up, I'd appreciate it," Kasumi smiled warmly at her little sister.

"Okay." -_I really hope he's not out here.-_ Akane, carrying her first load of six plates and six pairs of chopsticks, found that Ranma was indeed in the dining room when he tripped her. She fell forward, dropping the plates, which shattered, and she landed in the shards.

"Let that be a lesson to you, bitch," Ranma muttered as he disappeared from the scene.

"Akane! Oh goodness, are you ok?" Kasumi moved to help Akane up.

"I tripped," she lied. She stood with her sister's help, wincing at the many abrasions on her arms, hands and knees.

"Looks like you aren't hurt to badly. Here," she led Akane to a stool in the kitchen and handed her a damp rag, "sit here and clean yourself up, I'll get the plates."

"Thank you."

While Kasumi was fetching the broom, Ranma entered the kitchen. He put a hand on Akane's right shoulder. "Don't tell anyone, or else," he purred into her ear. Akane, almost to frightened to move, was able to nod. He squeezed her shoulder hard enough to bruise, and left.

Akane stood, dropping the towel.

"Akane?" Kasumi asked.

"I'm just gonna go to bed now. I'm not feeling that great. Goodnight."

"Goodnight then, dear," Kasumi returned to sweeping up broken glass.

Once in her room, Akane locked the door, the window, and pulled the curtain shut. Safe now, she changed into pajamas and got into bed.

"I don't understand…" she whispered quietly, and cried herself to sleep.

**Just before midnight**

Ranma was sitting in the cleft of a tall tree, watching the dark square of glass that led to Akane's room. He'd really have to do something about her, she couldn't be left alone, that slut. The clocks all around the city were now softly chiming midnight.

_ -What the? What am I doing here?-_ Ranma wondered. _–What the heck did I do all day? I don't remember anything that happened after Akane and I fought. I meant to apologize… I'll see if I did tomorrow.-_ He realized that he was staring at Akane's window. –_I'd better move before she decides to kill me for 'peeping,' or whatever.-_ He jumped down from the tree, and into his window. He settled himself on his futon, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Author's Notes

**Edit 1/3/05**

I have gotten several reviews that basically complain about this: "Akane's not like that." Well, I have one thing to say to you: "In my story, she is like that." This story can be considered a bit of an Alternate Universe, but I didn't select that category cuz they still live in the same city and are basically the same people. No one has yet complained about how Shampoo acts (that happens in ch 2 or 3). How do you _know_ Akane won't react like this? Does something like this actually happen in the manga or the anime? I don't know about the anime for sure (I've only seen about ½, and have no interest in seeing the rest, but I own and have read all of the manga. She gets discouraged too sometimes.

I have made the characters react in ways that are convienent for my story, if you don't like it, I'm sorry, I wrote it mostly for myself because I was feeling creative and all that. I sometimes have trouble drawing the Ranma characters, and all the drawings I have so far are only sketches, that's why they aren't up on mediaminer.

So, I have given you my reasons for why Akane acts the way she does, if you sincerely want to argue about it some more, you can email me.

Continuing with original authors notes:

So. How was the first chapter? After reading all (and I mean all!) of the Ranma ½ manga, I was inspired to write a fanfiction (that happened with Magic Knight Rayearth as well). I racked my brain for hours trying to come up with something (when I want to write, which happens occasionally, I _really_ want to write!), but with no luck. Later that day, the idea of an accidental wish gone wrong popped into my head, and I stuck with it. This will be my first continuation fic that I have actually published (the others aren't anime/manga related, but not finished either (and I probably won't finish them)).

I appreciate all reviews (except flames, though I adore fire), and the more I get, the faster I will upload new chapters. That is part of the reason I am first writing everything (as in on paper!) first, so I can write whenever I am inspired, and wherever I am! Please review and tell me what you think!

10/30/04 Happy Halloween!


	2. Words are Painful

Author's notes: Thanks to: **goku905041 **(I'm glad you find it interesting!); **Taechunsa** (it isn't set at the end of the manga, it is anywhere in the middle. They still haven't admitted they love each other (losers). I was just saying that I finished the manga, and was inspired to write something!); **CleverWitch** (I'm so happy you like it! ); and **cherrybloss9** (This is totally AkaneRanma. My fave pairing! Ranma is being mean and all that cuz of the himokimo, it is a side effect of something good happening between AR later.)

So, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 2: Words are Painful 

**beep, beep, beep!** Akane glanced at the alarm clock. _-Time to get up.-_ While Akane was changing into her school uniform, her hand encountered a large bruise on her shoulder. She winced and finished dressing.

_-I hope Ranma isn't crazy today…-_ Hesitantly, she padded downstairs and to breakfast. Ranma wasn't there, and she sat down in her customary place. Everyone gathered at the table started as Ranma crashed down the stairs and dropped into his usual seat next to Akane.

"Sorry," he panted, "overslept." No one paid him any mind, this being a common occurrence. "Pass me the salt please, Akane," he asked.

Akane looked at him, slightly bewildered. He was grinning at her. Blushing softly, she quickly handed him the saltshaker and returned her attention to her breakfast. _-I guess he's back to normal. Good. I don't know what I would have done if he had kept up his abuse! If he does it again I'll tell Kasumi. Maybe Dr. Tofu as well. Yesterday I was feeling to stunned to do anything. I won't let that happen again. I wonder what was making him act like that.-_ Akane turned her thoughts to the previous day. He had been fine until the last break. _-Maybe Shampoo fed him some weird ramen! I'm sure she and Cologne are capable of doing something like that. I wonder if she knew what it really does…-_

"Akane, it's time to go," she heard Ranma say.

"Huh?" She looked at him dazedly.

"Huh?" He mocked, waving his hand in front of her eyes. She smacked it away irritably, and he grinned at her again.

­_-I really hate it when he does that,-_ she lied to herself. He offered a hand to help her up.

"Thanks," she said quietly She headed for the door with her book bag, Ranma not far behind her. _-I wonder if I should say anything to him about yesterday… I think he would have made an attempt at apologizing or something, but you can never tell.-_

"So, Ranma, what did'ja do yesterday?" she asked casually.

Ranma, who was walking easily along the top of the fence, as he was wont to do, shrugged. "I don't remember."

"Anything?"

"Nothing after the last break."

"Well, that's odd," Akane remarked.

"Shampoo was doing her best to kill me by stuffing ramen down my throat, maybe she has somethin' to do with it."

"What, you think she fed you something that would make you act weird and forget about it?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," he stated, echoing an earlier thought of Akane's. "Do you know where I was?" he asked.

"I know you were at home."

"Well, that's good." Akane wasn't able to ask why the fact he was at home was good by their arrival at school and the simultaneous arrival of Kuno.

"Saotome, you cursed fiend!" he yelled, trying to strike Ranma with his bokken. Akane, not wanting to put up with Kuno's antics today, kicked him over the school building. She turned to see Ranma looking at her oddly.

"What?" she asked, irritated.

"You usually have me kick him."

"I felt like kicking something."

"Oh. I see. Well, I'm glad you didn't kick me," he replied. Together, they started walking to their class.

Gosunkugi had arrived at school early so he could check the effects of the himokimo. He watched Akane and Ranma enter the schoolyard together, Akane kicked Kuno, and then watched them head inside. _-So, it doesn't stay constant.-_ he mused. As Gosunkugi pondered the problems his errant himokimo had spawned, Akane and Ranma entered the classroom, just before the bell rang.

"Well, that's a nice surprise! You two not being late," Miss Hinako remarked. Akane and Ranma moved to their seats, ignoring her.

The school day progressed normally. Gosunkugi watched Ranma and Akane carefully for any signs of abnormal behavior. This normalcy continued up until the last break of the day. Akane passed Ranma an extra cookie Kasumi had packed and sat with him on the grass under a shady tree. It was especially warm for April today. Neither one of them felt much like talking, they were content to sit together in silence.

"I'm surprised Shampoo hasn't showed up," stated Akane.

She probably had too many deliveries to come and harass me," Ranma replied darkly. Akane glanced at the watch in her bag.

"It's 1:54, six minutes 'till we're back in class," Akane sighed. She wanted to go home. She was thinking this and watching Ranma when he… changed. His eyes glazed over and his head lolled on his neck. Then, his head snapped back up, and he glared fiercely at Akane.

**1:55 pm**

"What are you doing here, stupid slut?"

Akane, startled by the transformation, replied: "I brought you a cookie from Kasumi, then we were sitting together."

"Why would I want to sit with a stupid, fat, ugly whore like you?" he demanded.

"I…"

"I wouldn't!" he snarled. "Keep your ugly face and nasty body out of my sight!" Gosunkugi took this in and looked at his watch, making a mental note that the transformation took place at 1:55 pm. _-The reversal probably happens at midnight, then. Yesterday was physical abuse, today it looks only to be verbal. It looks like things will be getting better at a pretty fast pace.-_ While Gosunkugi had been analyzing the situation, Akane had been staring, stunned at Ranma.

"Well? What the hell? You must be stupider than a goddamn brick. You fucking, ugly, bitch. Get the hell away from me! What person would want to be near someone like you! Go and torture someone else with your bad looks!"

Akane picked up her backpack, stood, and walked away calmly. When she couldn't see Ranma anymore, she slowly sat down next to a tall tree with drooping branches. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and rested her chin on them. _-Well, he's not trying to beat me down, at least.-_ she thought, trying to distract herself from despair. _-Whatever Shampoo gave him must last for a few days, or more. It must loose potency after a while. Oh, Ranma!-_ Akane gave up, and wept. She buried her face in her hands. She heard the bell ring for return to class, but ignored it. Once she felt cried out, she wiped her eyes and left school.

She didn't go home, she wandered around Nerima. She found herself in one of the cities many parks, and sat down next to a small pond. She leaned forward and stared at her wavering reflection. Ranma's words had hurt more than usual. She was pretty sure when Ranma teased her normally, he didn't really mean it. Obviously, it bothered her a little, but it didn't make her feel like she was the lowest person on the planet.

Akane sat watching her tears slowly run down her cheeks and worried about Ranma. Through the months he and Genma had been living with the Tendos, she had come to care for Ranma. Deeply. It scared her sometimes, how deeply she cared for him. She thought about him constantly. She was afraid to say anything to him. She was afraid of rejection and afraid of what may happen if he returned her love. She snorted at that last thought. _-Like that would happen. I think he tries to suppress any… serious feelings when it comes to his fiancés.-_

She sighed and moved so she was lying on her stomach, hidden in the long grass. There, surrounded by quiet and calm, Akane was able to forget the hurt Ranma's words had caused. She knew it was a spell or something like that. She would have to pay a visit to Nekohanten and ask Cologne if she and Shampoo had done anything to Ranma.

Akane was calm now. She had learned as a young girl not to let others words drag her into depression. It was just harder to dismiss words when they came from Ranma. As Akane settled her complicated emotions, she grew tired and fell asleep.

**The Tendo house, 8:13 pm**

"Akane hasn't come home," Kasumi stated as she served a late dinner. Late because she had been waiting for Akane to get home.

"She wasn't at school when I left," Nabiki added.

"Ranma, do you know where Akane is?" Kasumi asked.

"No."

"I'm sure she's fine, if she doesn't come home soon, we'll send Ranma to look for her," Nabiki said.

"But-"

"Please, Ranma," Kasumi asked sweetly. No one, no matter what kind of curse they were under, could resist Kasumi.

"The rest of dinner was eaten in silence, except for Genma and Soun arguing over the last piece of sushi.

**9:00 pm**

Ranma found himself tossed out the door to look for Akane at 9:00.

"Don't come back until you've found her," Nabiki ordered.

"Fine," Ranma muttered.

_-Why do I have to search the city for that stupid ho-bitch?-_ Ranma repeated this in his head like a mantra as he diligently searched for Akane. He found her in the park about forty minutes later, sleeping.

"Hey," he nudged her prone form with his foot. She didn't stir. He bent down to yell in her ear: "HEY!" Akane jumped up, ready to punch someone's face in.

"R-ranma?"

"Your family wants you home, for some reason," he started. Akane pushed him into the pond.

"I don't feel like dealing with your crappy attitude right now," she muttered.

Ranma-chan surfaced, spluttering, "what'd you do that for?" she asked, wiping water from her eyes.

"I don't feel like dealing with your mouth!"

"What are you talking about? I haven't even seen you since this afternoon! I know Kasumi and Nabiki told you to look for me, so I did."

Akane was thinking hard. ­_-Maybe girl-Ranma isn't affected by whatever it is that is messing Ranma up!-_

Ranma, listen up!" Akane demanded. Ranma-chan stared at her stoically. "You have been acting very oddly, beginning yesterday after the last break. Yesterday, you became physically abusive to me, and today it was verbal, but it was still fierce. This morning, up until first break, you were fine, and you didn't remember anything. I think Shampoo fed you something funny, but I'm not sure."

"Have you gone to ask the old ghoul?" Ranma-chan asked.

"No, I was gonna do that earlier, but I forgot…"

"You mean you passed out," Ranma-chan teased.

"Quiet, you."

"Why don't we head home. I'll stay this way so I don't go off on you again."

"Thanks, Ranma," Akane said, touched.

"You're probably hungry, but I'm sure Kasumi's hidden your dinner so Pop and Mr. Tendo couldn't get it," Ranma-chan continued.

"Why are you being… extra nice?" Akane asked.

"Well… I feel kinda bad about what I'm doing, even if I don't know I'm doing it," Ranma-chan scuffed the ground with a foot, embarrassed.

"Thanks," Akane grinned.

"Yeah, whatever. Lets go."

When they arrived home, they discovered that Kasumi had, indeed, saved some dinner for Akane. She ate quickly and went to her room to get ready for bed. While she was changing, Ranma-chan entered her room without knocking.

"What are you doing!" Akane shrieked, and covered herself with her nightshirt.

"Sorry, sorry!" Ranma-chan slipped out the door and shut it again. Feeling very agitated, Akane pulled her shirt on. She opened the door to find a blushing Ranma-chan waiting for admittance.

"Come in if you still want to."

"I just wanted to apologize again for everything," she said.

"Thanks, Ranma, that means a lot to me."

"Yeah, well, and like I said, I won't mind staying like this if it will make you feel better…"

Akane leaned forward and hugged Ranma-chan. "This means a lot to me, Ranma. It hurts when you do mean things to me, and this time it was so much worse." Ranma, stiffly hugged Akane back. Girl body or not, he was still a man, and didn't really know how to act with emotional girls. When Akane pulled away, her large nightshirt fell off of her right shoulder, revealing a huge bruise.

"What's this?" She asked Akane softly.

"It's from yesterday," Akane whispered. "So are these," she held up her arms to show Ranma-chan numerous small cuts.

"What'd I do?" She asked gently.

"I was carrying a stack of dishes, and you tripped me. They fell and broke and I fell on top of them. Then a bit later you gripped my shoulder really hard…" Akane's voice trailed off.

"I… I'm sorry, Akane," Ranma said, and fled. She stared after her, bewildered.

Ranma 

Ranma-chan was up in a tree, the tree that faced Akane's window, again.

_-What's wrong with me?-_ she wondered. _-Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel so horrible about what I did to Akane, when it wasn't even really me?-_ she sighed. _-I can usually avoid these kind of thoughts, but not tonight. This really sucks. I'll try to make it up to her, somehow.-_ Ranma continued to think uncomfortable thoughts, and spent several hours in silent vigil over Akane's dark window.

Author's Notes

I was using Ranma-chan so we'd all remember Ranma was in girl form. I still had trouble remembering at some points '. Like I may have said before, I hand write my stories first, then type them. My mom owns a restaurant where I work, and before work and breakfast, I was working on this chapter. I had a glass of orange juice. Guess what! I spilled it all over my notebook! Luckily for me, my pen ink was mostly dry and didn't smear very much. My notebook now smells like OJ now '.


	3. Some Embarrassing Situations

A/N: Now, there may be a couple POV changes (usually, it is Akane, esp. when she is present), but I had to get Ranma's side on a few things. There will be a bold heading so I don't confuse you any more than I have to . In case I didn't say so before: I don't usually use –san, -kun, etc. because that is 4 more things to type. So, when I have 'Ranma-chan' that means girl Ranma. I thought that would be a good way to remember what was going on and all that. Hee hee. This chapter is a bit longer than the rest so far!

**Taechunsa**: The ending probably will be soon. I don't think I have any epic novel-length stories (or plots) in me '. **Me me me**: I agree, poor Akane! I'm sucha sadist (well, kinda). **Ying fa li kinomoto**: I'm glad you like the plot. Nah, Ranma-chan doesn't turn into bad Ranma at midnight. No matter what form he's in, he becomes normal at midnight.

Chapter Three: Some Embarrassing Situations 

Akane arrived at the breakfast table to find Ranma already there, in girl-form. _-I thought I told her she doesn't change until last break.- _Akane went to the kitchen to get a cup of hot water from the kettle that was always kept going for Ranma and Genma by the thoughtful Kasumi. Back in the dining room, she dumped it on Rnama-chan's head.

"Hey!" He wiped water out of his eyes, "I thought I was staying that way for a reason!"

"You are yourself until last break. I _told_ you that," Akane grinned at him. He grinned back sheepishly. She sat beside him and served herself breakfast. "Today, are we visiting Cologne?" she asked.

"Definitely, I want to find out what is wrong with me, and fix it. I have the feeling I won't necessarily be much nicer to anyone else."

"You aren't, but you aren't as mean to them, either."

"Ah. Sorry," he apologized.

Akane smiled sadly at her rice, _-If only he was always like this…-_

"I hope the old ghoul knows what's up with me. I would hate to stay such an asshole forever," Ranma stated.

"Time to go to school. Bye Kasumi!" Akane called as they left.

Halfway to school, they were surprised by a loud "Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo jumped off her bike and onto Ranma.

"Shampoo, don't you have deliveries to make?" Akane asked casually.

"I on delivery now. Shampoo see Ranma and wanted to say nihao!"

"Shampoo, if I come to Nekohanten later, will you go now?" Ranma asked.

"Ranma come see Shampoo? I go now, bye bye!" Shampoo got back on her bike and rode off.

"That was clever of you," Akane remarked.

"Huh?"

"Well, you are going to Nekohanten, but you aren't going to see Shampoo, and you are going to be a girl. Also, I'll be with you. I just think it's kinda funny," Akane explained.

"Well, it's annoying to have her jumping all over me all the time. I just want to get to school," he said.

"I thought you liked her jumping you."

"Not so much. I just hate it when she cries at me. I can't take that from anyone."

"Hmm," was all Akane said. Ranma looked at her oddly, but didn't say anything else.

Kuno met them at the entrance to the school building, screaming something about Ranma being a lowlife cur. Akane kicked him again.

"Looser," she muttered. Again, Ranma opted to say nothing. They were on time again, and made it to their classroom without any further trouble.

Gosunkugi, who was watching for them, appraised what he saw. _-Well, no one knew how the himokimo would grant her wish. I wonder what he'll be like today… They seem to be getting along better now. Seems like it is working.-_ Gosunkugi sighed.

"So, later are you gonna dump water on me?" Ranma asked Akane.

"Hai. Unless you want me to suffer more," she muttered the last part.

"No. I don't like what I'm doing to you one bit. It makes me angry that someone would do something to me to make me treat you so horribly," Ranma stared at the top of his shoes, to avoid looking at her.

Akane put a finger under his chin and lifted his face up so he was looking at her.

**Ranma**

Her face was so close. He eyes were shining, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were slightly parted.

"Ranma, she whispered, "thank you so much."

_-Oh…-_ he thought, stunned. He felt his face heating up, and tried to hide the fact that he was blushing furiously by looking down again. "Y-yeah. Um. No problem," he managed. Her finger was still under his chin. She lifted his head up once more. He steeled himself, and looked into her eyes. She was smiling. It was a beautiful, sparkling, emotion-filled smile, and it nearly made his heart stop. All the blood drained out of his face. She dropped her hand and went to her desk as Miss Hinako entered. He was still staring at the place where Akane's face had been. _-Whoa…I hope no one saw that,- _he thought, flushing again.

As he sat down at his own desk, he didn't see Nabiki in the doorway. _She_ had noticed. Smiling, Nabiki returned to her own classroom.

**Akane**

_-I can't believe I just did that…-_ Akane thought. _-I hope he isn't upset with me or anything!-_ Little did she realize (A/N though all of us know ), that not only was Ranma _not_ mad or upset, he was thinking strange thoughts he had always tried to _not_ think about before. About Akane. It was a strange feeling for him.

The rest of the school day passed normally. Akane and Ranma were sitting under the same day as yesterday munching on some snacks Kasumi had made. Akane had a bottle of cold water.

"When are'ya gonna douse me?" he asked.

"After I'm sure it's still gonna happen," she replied.

"Okie."

Akane was studying her watch closely. Gosunkugi, hiding in some nearby bushes, was also watching.

**1:55 PM**

"I thought I tol- bleh!" Ranma-chan coughed and wiped water from her eyes. "So, I'm still at it?"

"Apparently."

"Well, it's only for ten hours or whatever. I suppose that isn't too bad."

"I feel bad that you have to stay a girl for almost half the day. I could just stay away from you."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not even me, and I don't remember anything. It's not like I'm missing out."

Akane smiled at Ranma-chan, the same beautiful smile as before. Ranma-chan was saved from her turbulent feelings by the ringing of the warning bell.

"Ran-chan! Why are you a girl?" Ukyo jumped down from a tree and landed beside Ranma-chan. "Here, I had a hot water bottle just in case!" She held it out to pour on Ranma-chan.

"No!" Ranma-chan jumped out of reach. "I'm under a spell, Ucchan, no hot water for a while."

"What kind of spell?"

"Where I'm horribly abusive to any woman I see!" She stated dramatically. "It starts around 2:00 or so, so I'm a guy in to morning."

"Ah. Okay, I'll leave ya alone then."

"Where have you been, Ukyo?" Akane asked.

"I went on a trip to get some special okonomiyaki ingredients. I saw Ryoga wandering around, I told him to tell you!"

"Ryoga was by the day you left, but he had just gotten into town," Akane told her.

"He probably got lost again," Ranma-chan muttered darkly.

"I forgot about that," Ukyo admitted.

"So, what kinda okonomiyaki stuff didja get?" Ranma-chan asked.

"A new kind of noodles. My dad wrote me about them, so I went and to get some and visit my family for a while. They're really tasty. Hey, you two want to come by after school and try some? You can have the first okonomiyaki made with the new noodles in Nerima."

"That would be great!" Akane exclaimed.

"I can't say no to free okonomiyaki," Ranma-chan grinned at Ukyo. At this point, they had made it back to the classroom. "I can't wait," Ranma-chan said gleefully as they sat down.

"They sound delicious!" Akane agreed.

The rest of the school day passed slowly for Ranma-chan, who was always impatient when her (or his) stomach was involved. The second the bell rang; she grabbed Akane and Ukyo, and attempted to drag them all the way to Ucchan's.

"Wait a sec, Ran-chan," Ukyo said, "we don't have all of our stuff yet!"

"Ok, I'll wait." Ukyo and Akane packed their schoolbags, laughing over Ranma's impatience.

"Done," Ukyo announced. Akane nodded in agreement.

"Let's go!" Ranma-chan exclaimed. She led her two fiancées to Ucchan's. Ukyo unlocked her store and turned on the lights.

"You'll have to wait for the grill to heat up, but sit down and I'll get everything started." Akane and Ranma-chan sat watching Ukyo as she pulled back her hair, donned her apron, and got ingredients ready for the new okonomiyaki. "Akane, what do you want in yours? Ran-chan, I already know what you want."

"Anou… mushroom, onion and shrimp, please," Akane told Ukyo.

"Hai." Ukyo mixed up three okonomiyakis, and poured them onto the grill. As they sizzled and popped, Ranma-chan watched hers cook. Her face was so close to the grill she was in danger of getting burned.

"Watching it like that won't make it cook any faster," Akane told Ranma-chan.

"Like you know anything about cooking," Ranma-chan said sharply. Akane looked away. "Sorry, Akane, I didn't mean it." She put a hand on Akane's shoulder apologetically.

"S'ok. I know I'm a horrible cook," Akane replied. Ukyo watched this exchange without seeming to, fascinated.

_-They didn't get into a verbal fight, and Akane didn't hit Ran-chan with anything! What is going on? Am I hallucinating **not** seeing them fight?-_

"Done!" Ukyo served the okonomiyaki with a flourish. She sat down with hers and started to eat it.

"These noodles are amazing!" Akane exclaimed.

"They are tender, but firm, flavorful, but not overpowering… Delicious!"

"What are they called?" Akane asked.

"Yawarakai. My family developed them."

"You'll be able to make quite a bit offa these, I bet," Ranma-chan said.

"The plant my family makes it out of doesn't grow that well, it has to be tended carefully, and it's a brand new species of seed, so it is obviously rare. I'll probably make the dish into a special exclusive trial or something. It may cost a bit more, but it should be worth it."

"I agree completely," Akane told Ukyo as she finished her meal.

"Me too," Ranma-chan chimed in, her mouth full of noodles.

"Thanks for the supper!" Akane said brightly. "What do we owe you?"

"It's on me. You were my new product testers," Ukyo laughed.

"Thanks Ukyo!" Akane gave the other girl a quick hug.

"Yeah, thanks Ucchan. We should get going now if we want to see the old ghoul, Akane. Shampoo will hopefully be out on dinner deliveries. See ya Monday, Ucchan." Ranma-chan led the way out.

"See you Monday! Thanks again for the meal," Akane called.

"Bye guys," Ukyo waved and shut the sliding door behind them. She sighed. _-It seems like they are showing affection for each other… or maybe just trying harder to get along. Is this because Ran-chan is a jerk from that spell, or is it something else.-_ Thinking hard, Ukyo put up her 'Open' sign and readied her store for the evening rush.

Ranma-chan led the way to Nekohanten, her hands in her pockets, and thinking hard. _-So… what if it's not them? No, I shouldn't think that. It's gotta be either Shampoo or that old ghoul. Their reasoning must be something like if Shampoo can't have me, no one can…_-

**Ranma and Akane**

Akane was quietly following Ranma-chan. She was almost scared to say anything, the look on Ranma-chan's face was very intense. Akane wondered what Ranma was thinking about so hard. _-Sometimes, he can be so nice… I wonder how much he wants to stop this curse because it's affecting me, and how much of it is because he looses half of his day to being a woman, or looses it entirely. I think I'm afraid to ask._-

"Akane," Ranma-chan said suddenly.

"Hai?"

"We'll get this solved soon, ok?"

"Ranma, why are you pushing so hard to get this fixed?" Akane asked timidly.

"Because…" _-Because it's hurting you…-_ "um… I don't really know. Don't worry 'bout it though, ok?" She was looking at the ground as she spoke, and was blushing faintly.

"Ok," Akane replied. She skipped forward a step and pulled Ranma-chan's hand out of her pocket. Ranma-chan almost pulled away, but stopped, and intertwined her fingers with Akane's.

"Let's hurry."

"Alright."

Ranma-chan let go of Akane's hand at the door of Nekohanten. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Akane followed Ranma-chan inside and shut the door behind her. The café was empty; the calm before the evening rush.

"Hey, Cologne, I need to talk to you," Ranma-chan called to the kitchen.

"Oh, if it isn't groom!" Cologne approached them. "Shampoo is out on a delivery right now, so she can't go out with you."

"I'm not here for Shampoo, I'm here to ask you about something."

"Oh?"

"Three days ago, I started acting differently, especially towards Akane. It starts at 1:55 pm and lasts till midnight, probably. I don't remember that time period when I'm a male, but when I'm female I remember and the curse doesn't affect me."

"What do you mean, differently?"

"Akane, maybe you should tell her."

"Ok. Well, first he was physically, maliciously abusive. Then, for the past two days, he was just verbally abusive, but it was horrible. It wasn't like his normal making fun of me, it was really bad. We can't see how it would have happened."

"Groom, what were you doing before this… transformation happened?" Cologne asked.

"Well, Akane and I were sitting outside during break. Then Shampoo jumped me and force-fed me some new ramen or whatever. Akane and I argued, and she went inside. I don't remember what happened after that."

"What did you do after you went inside, Akane?"

"Um… I just went to my desk and sat there for a while. Some girls from my class came and talked to me. Then Ranma came in five or so minutes later, and he was different. I still can't think of anything that could have happened. We thought maybe Shampoo fed him something weird…"

"No, that was ramen she was supposed to deliver to a customer. Sometimes, Shampoo lets her obsession overcome good sense," Cologne told them.

­_-Obsession? Hmm…-_ Akane kept the thought to herself.

"So. Now the question is: how did this happen? Ranma doesn't remember anything so Akane is our only current source for information. If you remember any other suspicious-looking people that were around, we can talk to them later."

"I don't know if I really remember anything more than what I've told you. I can tell you what the girls and I talked about, but not the words or details."

"If you don't mind, I have a spell that will… blank you mind. You'll be able to tell us everything you said. The only problem with the spell is if anyone asks you a question, you'll answer it. You'll also be in a trance-like state. You won't be able to look after yourself at all."

"I don't mind that so much… Ranma'll just have to look after me until I'm myself again."

Cologne's tone turned serious, "I mean _any_ question. You won't be able to stop yourself. You will know what is going on, but you won't be in control."

"Well, if it will help Ranma, I'm willing. How long will the spell last?"

"Just about eight hours."

"Do it," Akane said.

**4:23 pm**

The spell was cast.

**20 minutes later**

"It must be a himokimo…" Cologne muttered. "Ranma, it's probably no got to get this Gosunkugi person right now. Bring him here after school tomorrow. I'll have to do some research…"

"Sure, ghoul. I'll tie him up and drag him if I have to."

"Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo had finally gotten back from her deliveries. "Why you girl-Ranma?"

"I'm under a curse," Ranma choked. "Shampoo, let go. That hurts."

"Whoops!" Shampoo released Ranma-chan from her death-clutch. She put the delivery box away and noticed Akane. "Why you here, Akane?" Shampoo asked.

"To help Ranma," Akane's voice sounded very strange. It was slightly deeper, and had a whisper-like quality to it.

"Well! Look at the time! Sorry we can't stay and hang out with you, Shampoo, but I was waiting for you for over an hour! I've got to be going now; I've got a paper to write! Let's go, Akane!" Ranma-chan grabbed the spellbound girl by the wrist and pulled her out of the Nekohanten. Shampoo started after them, but Cologne stopped her.

"Not today."

"Ok," Shampoo agreed passively. Mousse, who had been watching from the kitchen, sighed. _-Maybe someday…-_ He shook his head and got back to work.

**Akane and Ranma-chan**

Ranma-chan had discovered that if she let go of Akane, the girl would slow down and then stop walking.

"Why are you so troublesome?" Ranma-chan muttered.

"I don't know," Akane replied.

"It was a rhetorical question…" _-Her voice is creepy like that. Eight hours, that means the spell will end around 12:30 tonight. Maybe we should stay up together to make sure. Tomorrow I've gotta catch that Gosunkugi and bring him to the ghoul. I wonder what she can do. Argh! I hate waiting like this! I guess this is mostly my fault though… I should tell Aka-_ Ranma-chan quickly slammed the door on _that_ thought shut. She shook her head vigorously and glanced at Akane. Her eyes were blank, and her face was expressionless.

_-I almost wish she was **angry** at me! That look gives me the chills. Enough thinking!-_ Ranma-chan firmly locked down all her thought processes with the ease of practice, and concentrated on getting Akane home.

**5:47 pm**

"Dinner time!" Kasumi's sweet voice rang throughout the house. Ranma-chan jumped up from the dojo floor, then pulled Akane up. She had figured the dojo would be a good place to hide; usually only herself and Akane went there anyways.

Ranma-chan guided Akane to her seat and sat down beside her. Nabiki entered, gave Ranma-chan a peculiar look, and seated herself. Kasumi entered last with a tray of cookies for dessert, and took her customary seat.

"Itadakimasu!" Everyone said in unison (Loose translation: let's eat/I humbly partake. Always said before a meal.)

"So, Akane, what did you do today?" Kasumi asked her youngest sister.

"I woke up and-" Ranma-chan clamped a hand over Akane's mouth.

"How's the rice?" she asked, taking her hand away.

"Good."

"Akane is in a bit of a spelled trance right now, you can't ask her anything or she'll talk you to death." Everyone stared at the two of them, and shrugged.

"Stranger things have happened here," Nabiki muttered.

**8:41 pm**

_-God! This trance is sucha bother!-_ Ranma-chan had to help Akane to bathe, even! She avoided getting hot water on herself, and did her best to avoid looking at Akane. She was waiting for Akane to come out of her trance and slap her. Some odd things were running through her mind as she helped Akane to wash herself, rinse, and dry off. It didn't help that Ranma-chan was trying to do all of this without touching Akane. Finally, she got Akane dressed and the ordeal was over.

"C'mon, Akane," Ranma-chan dragged Akane up the stairs to her room. She led Akane to the bed, and Akane sat down on it. "I'll be right back, stay here."

Ranma-chan took her own bath quickly (and with lukewarm water), grabbed a glass of very hot water, and took it upstairs with her. She entered Akane's room to find that she had not moved the entire time. _-She doesn't want to move, or can't move?-_ Ranma-chan settled herself in Akane's desk chair, and prepared herself to wait as long as needed.

**10:13** **pm**

When Akane fell asleep, she slumped backwards onto her bed. Ranma-chan woke from a light doze, sighed, and moved Akane so her head was on the pillow, and the blankets were tucked securely around her. She then returned to the chair and covered herself up with another blanket.

**12:23 pm**

Akane woke up suddenly. She sat up in bed, and looked around. Her desk lamp was on, and Ranma-chan was in her chair, fast asleep. She saw the glass of water by

Ranma-chan's arm. Akane slid out of bed and tested the water. Warm, but not hot enough to change her back. Akane slipped out the door and down to the bathroom. She dumped the warm water, and filled the glass with hot.

Back in her room, she dumped it on Ranma-chan.

"Hey!" He spluttered.

"Shh!" Akane put a finger to her lips.

"You're back!" He jumped out of the chair and hugged her fiercely. Akane automatically hugged him back, but her mind was reeling. _-Whaa?-_ was all she could think. Slowly, Ranma let go of Akane. "Well…" he started, suddenly shy, "We should get to sleep now. See ya in the morning."

"Um, night," she called as he dashed out of her room. She shut the door and climbed back into her bed. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and turned over restlessly. _-I'll think about it tomorrow!-_ She told her self firmly. Even after that, she fell asleep remembering the tight warmth of his embrace.

**Ranma**

Ranma rolled himself in his blankets and closed his eyes tightly. He was still blushing. He fell asleep trying _not_ to think about how soft and tender Akane felt in his arms.

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took me so long to put up, I had most of it written, then I got stuck for days, then I was just to lazy to type it (I was reading Naruto manga that I'd downloaded (it's so awesome!). I hope I'll be able to get the next chapter out before the end of December… I'll do my best. I'm running out of paper in my notebook, what am I to do!? (buy a new one, duh!). I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Holidays!

SillyNiecy 12/7/04


	4. Fight, Get Along, or Else!

**To Everyone**: I would like to say this. This story is kind of an Alternate Universe. Yes, they are in the same city, do the same kind of things, see the same people and all that, but I have messed with their emotions and I am not completely using themes and plot from the manga (or the anime (I've seen some of it)). So, yes, the characters aren't acting completely normal. I've changed their habits a bit to suit my needs. Think of this story as something that _may_ happen or _could_ happen; that is the point of an AU, even if this story doesn't seem like one. . Oh, and sorry about the long comments below, but I feel chatty. Skip down to the --- line if you don't want to bother with it all.

**Six-string Samurai**: Hmm… well, she is acting meek. She is a high school girl suffering a sudden change, a harsh one at that… I'm glad I don't have grammar errors (I try hard!). Yeah, I shoulda had more plot development in ch 3, but I couldn't think of anything that fit. It was all wrong. ;;.

**Physcol**: Yes, Akane's attitude and all that annoys me a lot (just like Naru Narusegawa in Love Hina towards Keitaro!). Akane is abusive, but it is not malicious. Ranma is sometimes mean to Akane, but usually he is teasing her to push her buttons. We all know they like each other, but they are both super stubborn, and won't admit it. I know kindness goes two ways, I'm trying to work a lesson for Akane in here somewhere… But like I said above, they are all different in this story, enough that some things work out differently (and I knew your review wasn't a flame).

**NAOKI**: I stopped mostly cuz I ran out of paper in my notebook… and I didn't want the chapter to be super long, some people like shorter chapters (I like longer ones, but short is fine too). I'm glad you like it!

**Celestartial Blossoms**: Heh heh. Well, I was trying for romance. I couldn't think of any other categories for this other than romance/general. I'm glad you like it though! Don't worry; this chapter will probably be a bit longer. Maybe.

**Another note**: Yes, my now not-so-trusty-notebook has run out of paper. Stupid thing. So now I will type this chapter out. If my grammar seems to be worse, try to ignore it, I will re-read it, but I'm not the best at this sort of thing. Sorry for the long comments, the story starts now!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 4: Fight, Get Along, or Else! **

** 3:42 AM: Cologne **

Cologne rubbed her eyes and yawned. She had been up all night researching the himokimo in her vast library. _-This is a very odd tool. Something that grants wishes, but not for free. It is an instrument that can cause good or bad events to happen. It's also a tool that can invoke a certain spirit to appear. I hope this Gosunkugi kid had thought this through all the way. I hope Ranma and Akane are prepared to learn what they have to learn. Shampoo will be disappointed.-_ Cologne rubbed her eyes again. _-It shouldn't bother her too much, especially because Mousse is here. She likes him more than she will admit. Akane and Ranma, Shampoo and Mousse. They are both good matches. Time for bed now.-_ Cologne went to her room and fell into a contented sleep.

**6:00 AM: Akane**

Akane woke up feeling very grumpy. Sadly, she had not gotten much sleep, and did not feel like going out for her morning jog. _-I'd better, or I'll skip another day, then another… This totally sucks.-_ She dressed herself in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed her sneakers, and plodded down the stairs.

"Good morning, Akane," Kasumi called from the kitchen.

"'Morning…" Akane called back as she tied her shoes. "I'm going now."

"See you soon," Kasumi replied.

Akane set off at an easy pace. _-Maybe I'll go to the bridge and back, that's not too far.-_ As Akane jogged, thoughts of what had invaded her dreams then nightmares assaulted her mind again. _-Ranma, Ranma, Ranma. Why can't I stop thinking about him? It's not fair. Even if I did,_- here, Akane paused her train of thought and looked around for people, _-love him, he probably doesn't love me. He's probably being nice to me to annoy Shampoo or something. Or Kasumi told him too.-_ Akane frowned and shook her head. _-I need to find something else to occupy my mind. Seriously.-_ her thoughts drifted back to her dreams last night and she blushed. _-Something ELSE!-_ she demanded her mind. She got a cold chill as she recalled the nightmares she had had. She wasn't even sure what had happened in them, just that they involved Ranma.

"Freaking hell…" she muttered as she reached the bridge. Resolutely, she began repeating the sounds of the hiragana chart to block out any other thoughts. (A/N hiragana is the first, most basic alphabet of Japanese, composed of 46 basic characters. '). Feeling frustrated and a bit angry, Akane headed back to the dojo.

**6:24 AM: Ranma**

Ranma's alarm sounded in his ear. He grumbled something that could have been 'not enough sleep,' hit the snooze button, and rolled over.

**6:33 AM: Ranma again**

Ranma's alarm went off again, he sat up groggily and turned it off. _-What a bad night…-_ He wondered if he should just skip school today. _-Ah, no, gotta get that stupid Gosunkugi today and drag him to the ghoul's…-_ He untangled himself from his blankets, and slowly pulled his clothing on.

**6:45 AM: Kasumi**

Kasumi grinned as she listened to Ranma stomp his way around upstairs. _-Seems like Ranma and Akane are both in a bad mood this morning. That will be interesting.-_ She carried the last of the breakfast dishes to the dining room table and returned to the kitchen.

**6:50 AM**

Everyone gathered for breakfast, and tucked into Kasumi's cooking with no conversation. Akane poked at her food with her chopsticks glumly before eating it. Ranma was shoveling food into his mouth so his dad couldn't get any, just like he always did. Breakfast ended with Soun and Genma fighting over that last piece of grilled shrimp, as usual.

"I'm off," Nabiki told everyone as she gathered up her backpack and purse.

"See you later," Kasumi replied.

Akane silently climbed the stairs to her room to retrieve her backpack. Ranma was waiting for her at the door.

"Bye, Kasumi," they called in unison.

"See you after school," she replied.

School was a dull affair. Neither Akane nor Ranma paid attention to anything that happened. She stared out the window and he absentmindedly doodled in his notebook.

**1:55 PM**

Before break was over, Ranma doused himself with cold water and became Ranma-chan. The two of them were sitting under the same tree, munching on more cookies Kasumi had provided.

"So, how'd you sleep last night?" Ranma-chan asked.

"Not good."

"We've gotta take Gosunkugi to the Ghoul's place after school."

"Yeah."

"What'sa matter?"

"Nothing, so leave me alone!" Akane shouted.

This made Ranma-chan very angry. "Hey, I think I have the right to at least talk to you, especially because I'm doing this mostly for you! You could at least consider how I'm feeling right now, having to stay in a chick's body cuz you don't want to be hurt. You have no right to shout at me!" Ranma-chan yelled back.

"Just change yourself back then, you stupid pervert!"

"Maybe I will!"

Akane stood up abruptly and stalked off towards the classroom, leaving Ranma-chan sitting at the tree.

_-Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid Ranma!-_ Akane thought fiercely.

**3:17 PM** (A/N I don't know what time school ends in Japan, so I gave it the same ending time that I had in high school ').

The bell signaling the end of the school day rang, releasing a hoard of students from their captivity. Ranma-chan blocked Gosunkugi from leaving his desk. He looked up at her fearfully.

"You're coming with us today, Gosunkugi," she said with a scary grin on her face.

"Oh… Okay."

Ranma-chan waited for him to gather his things, then led him to where Akane was waiting. Akane turned and starting walking in the direction of Nekohanten without even waiting for them. When she saw that Akane was still mad, Ranma-chan angered again.

"Will you _wait up_?" Ranma-chan called, "why do you have to rush ahead?"

"Because I want to! Why don't you hurry up, instead," Akane yelled back.

"Argh!" Ranma-chan grunted. "What the hell is wrong with her? Seriously, I'm being a wonderful, nice person to her, and she explodes at me."

"Maybe she's frustrated?" Gosunkugi offered.

"I was speaking rhetorically."

"Oh. Why are you kidnapping me, by the way?" He asked.

"It's about that himokimo thing. The old Ghoul wants to speak with you," Ranma-chan told him.

"'The old Ghoul'?"

"Cologne, owner of Nekohanten, great-grandmother of the bothersome Shampoo, and Amazon of great power."

"Oh."

"You'll see when we get there."

When the three teenagers arrived they were greeted at the door by Cologne. "Come in. Oh, and don't worry, Shampoo is training and had been told not to return until 6:00. So, this is Gosunkugi…" Cologne eyed the strange boy up and down as he stared at her like he was a cornered rabbit. "Come, you three, we have things to discuss." Cologne took them to a private room and began telling them what she had discovered.

**4:21 PM**

(A/N the author has skipped a long, technical and rather boring conversation, but here we are at the end of it.)

"So, you're saying if we don't work to grant the wish Akane made, we will be punished somehow?" Ranma-chan asked.

"Yes," Cologne replied.

"That's bullshit!" she cried.

"That's stupid," Akane said at the same time. During the conversation, she had stayed stubbornly quiet. Akane and Ranma-chan's eyes met, Akane frowned and looked away. Ranma-chan rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Cologne.

"What'll the punishment be?" Ranma-chan asked.

"There's no way to know," Cologne replied.

"This really sucks! Why'd you have to do something so stupid," she yelled at Gosunkugi. Angry beyond reason, Akane jumped out of her chair and stormed out of the room.

"I didn't seem stupid at the time…" Gosunkugi told the now-absent Akane.

"Just ignore her, she's being a real bitch today," Ranma-chan said.

"You two have to learn how to get along," Cologne told Ranma-chan.

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure we'll all try our best," she replied sarcastically.

"Are we done now?" Gosunkugi asked hopefully.

"Yes, you may both go home."

"See ya, Ghoul."

"Goodbye, Cologne."

"Goodbye," Cologne said as she closed the door of the Nekohanten behind them. _-This will be pretty hard for them. Also, it will be amusing to me._- Cologne went about the restaurant setting up for dinner with a grin on her old face.

**Akane**

Akane arrived home and went straight up to her room and slammed the door. _-Ah! This sucks so much. I do want to get along with Ranma, but I don't want to be forced into it. And now I'm so upset I don't feel like getting along with anyone. I'd better just stay here, that way, we won't be arguing, maybe that'll be ok.-_

**Ranma-chan**

As Ranma-chan trudged home, she did her best to calm down. _-Ok, we've got to get along. What does it mean, 'to get along'? No fighting? Or what… If I can figure that out, maybe it will be easy for both of us to accomplish, and I'll be free of this stupid curse!_- Ranma resolutely set his mind to the task, and walked home feeling a bit less angry.

**6:30 PM **

"Dinner!" Kasumi called. All throughout the Tendo household, projects were dropped, training abandoned, and shogi (Japanese chess) games left on pause as the occupants of the house dashed for the dining room.

"Itadakimasu!" Everyone said in unison. During the meal, Akane ignore Ranma-chan, and Ranma-chan ignored Akane. Conversation was still able to flow smoothly around them, the two of them being petulant was a common occurrence. Everyone finished, and Kasumi started cleaning up as everyone went back to their various tasks.

**Ranma-chan**

Ranma-chan was in the dojo practicing kicks. Practice was always a good way to release the tension of a hard day. _-Get along… I wonder if that means not arguing at all, or being able to work things out together. I'll have to talk to Akane about it, I suppose. Though, I'll do that tomorrow._- Ranma-chan practiced until it was dark outside then went in to shower and go to bed.

**9:10 PM: Akane**

Akane felt sufficiently tired, so she decided to go to bed. She fell asleep quickly, but her rest was filled with nightmares.

**9:25 PM: Ranma-chan**

Ranma-chan laid out her bedding and crawled inside it, turning off her alarm: tomorrow was Sunday. _-Hopefully things will be better tomorrow.- _She rolled onto her side, and fell asleep.

Midnight: Akane 

_Akane… Akane… Akane… _

Akane looked around. "Where am I?" The landscape was odd, it was all forest and meadow, but with the colors inverted. The sky was an odd dark color, the grass and trees were dark pink and purple, with hints of electric blue. The wind, which was warm and damp, had odd greenish sparkles in it.

_Do you like it?_ A voice asked.

Akane whirled to look for the voice.

_Would you be more comfortable if you could see me?_ The voice asked. Akane rubbed her ears, the voice was immense.

"Um, yes?" Slowly, like film developing, a figure appeared in front of her. It was distinctly feminine, with long, dark, waving hair, a slender but shapely body, and long legs. She was garbed in many layers of flowing garments that were bright green, blue, and yellow. There was a wreath of the oddly colored grass atop Her head, and a necklace and bracelets as well. Her drop earrings shone a soft, glowing white. Her nails, Akane noticed, were long, sharp, and painted dark red.

"Who are you?" Akane asked.

_I am something that was created along with the universe, and given powers of creation in turn. I am a being that grants wishes._

"You mean, there are others that grant wishes, too?"

_Yes, but they shouldn't matter to you, because you wished on the himokimo, and I am the one who grants those wishes._ The spirit scolded.

Akane started and looked down at her feet.

_You are wondering why you are here?_ She asked.

"Yes."

_Lately, you have not been very cooperative with Ranma._ The being crossed Her arms. _Himokimo will come into a person's life for reasons, you know._

"A reason?" Akane said.

_Yes, but I will not be telling you the reason the himokimo came into your life, that is against my rules._

"Um… you haven't told me why I'm here yet," Akane said quietly, as if she were afraid of the spirit.

_Now, don't be afraid, I can't do anything to you that does not have anything to do with your wish. Of course, you do not have any way to know what _does_ have to do with your wish… _The being tapped Her lips thoughtfully with one long, red nail. _I did tell you why I have brought you here. It is because you are not cooperating with Ranma. Though, I'm surprised he is the one trying to cooperate. I would not have expected that._

"What do you mean by 'cooperate'?" Akane asked.

_I mean, you are not working together with him as you should. You are letting your feelings get in the way._

"What feelings?" Akane asked defensively.

The spirit smiled, _I cannot tell you what feelings, but you had better think about it._

Akane stared at Her sullenly. _Do not believe me if you like, but you will be punished. Tonight, I am going to give you a demonstration… If you do not like what you see, you must change your stubborn ways._

"Am I that stubborn?" Akane asked ruefully.

_Yes. However, I can forgive a bit of stubbornness. We spirits of creation are known for being stubborn ourselves. On the other hand, you should not try your stubbornness against Ours. We have been honing it for millennia._

"Who are you, exactly?"

_I am called many names, one of them is Hikumira. Now, it is time for your lesson._

**9:28 AM, Sunday: Akane**

Akane sat up with a start. _-Oh… wow… I don't want any of those things to happen! I had better listen to what Ranma has to say.- _Akane jumped out of bed and ran to the room Ranma and Genma shared. Genma was gone, probably sparring with Soun (or playing Shogi '), but Ranma was still sleeping soundly. He was in boy form, so he had either woken up some time after midnight, or Genma, sorrowing over his unmanly son, had poured some hot water on him. (A/N I'll let you decide ).

"Ranma! Wake up!" Akane knelt next to him and started shaking his shoulder. He was a hard person to wake.

"Ngm fumph," he muttered into his pillow.

"Wake up!" She flipped him onto his back and started poking his sides.

"Hey!" he sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. "Watcha wan' so early?" He mumbled.

"Hikumira told be some things last night, and one of them was that you have been thinking about this whole getting along thing. What ideas do you have, because I had some very horrible dreams last night."

"Hikumira?"

"She's the spirit that has control over the himokimo. The one that Cologne warned us about. Because I haven't been cooperating, she had a talk with me and told me some things. Then she gave me some nightmares to teach me a lesson."

"Eh?"

"Oh, just don't worry about it. Tell me what you've been thinking about."

"Well, ok," Ranma paused for a yawn. "Well, one thing is that we can still argue and stuff, but we have to learn how to talk about things. And we have to be honest with each other. Um, there was some other stuff, too, I think, but those were the main things."

"Honest?" Akane blushed.

"Yeah."

"What do you mean, honest?" Akane demanded.

"Well, tell each other our feelings… and stuff."

Akane shivered. "Well, lets work on all that you said, maybe we can solve the problem by the end of the day." Akane left Ranma's side and made a mad dash for the door. Ranma shrugged and went back to sleep.

_-Well, as far as I can tell, Ranma is more honest when he is asleep. So, what he said shouldn't be untruthful or anything like that. Are they serious? How we really feel? I have to tell him that I love him… argh. Seriously. If I don't…_- Images of her nightmares assaulted her mind. She shivered again. _-Well, I suppose I must.-_ Akane decided to go to the park and think things through. She jogged there, and spent hours relaxing in the shade of the trees and contemplating her situation. As a martial artist, she had learned early on to hone her will and make it strong. She would now convince herself of what she needed (and, honestly wanted) to do, and she would do it.

**Meanwhile: Ranma**

Ranma looked at his clock. The digital numbers told him it was 10:40. _-Time to get up, I guess._- Ranma rolled out of bed and got himself presentable. He thumped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Kasumi wasn't there, so he got himself some rice and other things, and had a late breakfast.

_-I wonder where Akane went. We've gotta talk today. I want to solve this problem.-_

An hour passed, and Ranma amused himself with the TV.

Another hour passed. _-It's freaking 12:45 now! Where has she been all morning! I'll go ask Nabiki if she knows where Akane is.-_ He knocked on Nabiki's door.

"Hey, you in there?" he called.

The door opened, "yes, geez!"

"Do you know where Akane is?"

"Why?"

"I've gotta talk to her today," Ranma said.

"Oh?" Nabiki raised an eyebrow delicately.

"Don't give me that," Ranma muttered as he blushed under her scrutiny.

"I think she muttered something about going to the park," Nabiki finally told him.

"Thanks, bye!" Ranma made his escape before she could charge him something.

"I should have charged him _before_ I told him," Nabiki told herself ruefully.

Ranma hurried off to the part to look for Akane. _-I can tell her if she tells me first. If she can't I can tell her. I can tell her I like her.-_ Ranma repeated this like a mantra the whole time he was looking for Akane.

He reached the edge of the park and paused. _-Where in here will she be…-_ he sighed and headed for the pond where she had pushed him in the second day of the wish being active. He spied her sitting with her back against a weeping willow tree. Silently, he walked up to her and sat down facing her. She slowly came to be aware of him, and opened her eyes. When she was fully out of her meditative state, she jumped, surprised.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking away.

"Well, I figure we should talk as soon as possible so we can get all this over with and I can stop being a girl all the time."

"You're not a girl all the time," Akane snapped.

"You're not helping," Ranma stated.

"Sorry. Sit down," Akane patted the grass next to her. "It'll be easier to talk to you if I don't have to hurt myself looking up at you." Ranma grinned slightly, and sat. "So…" Akane started, then paused.

"So?" Ranma repeated.

"So, I had some nightmares last night. They were sent by the spirit that holds domain over the himokimo. I don't really remember every dream as a whole. Mostly, I remember images and the general content. However, I don't really need to tell you about all that, because Hikumira said you have already resolved to cooperate and all that."

"Were the dreams bad?" Ranma asked.

"Very bad. Though, they might not affect you the same way as me, because they dealt with my perspective. Now I've thought about it, and if we can start getting along and all that, I've realized life would be more enjoyable. Kasumi has been telling me and telling me that I get too worked up over things and that I should be more sensible, but I never thought I was so excitable…" She looked over at Ranma, who had made a choking noise. "What?"

"Er… nothing," he said brightly, "go on, go on."

"So, I'm ready to be honest with you, and honest with myself." Akane looked at Ranma shyly, "are you?"

"Uh, yes."

"Are you going to go first?" Akane asked him.

"Sure. Ok. When I first showed up here as a girl, and you were nice to me, I thought that maybe this whole thing wouldn't be so bad. Maybe we could work things out, or maybe make our parents cancel the whole thing. Then I saw how psycho you could get when you were angry… I was a bit surprised. I like to relax and take things slowly, you were like a whirlwind, sweeping everything in its' path out of the way." He paused and scratched his head.

"Then, we were always arguing, and it became habit to call you things like 'uncute' and all that, and I never thought about what I was saying could eventually be a problem. Or that it would hurt you. Even with all the arguing, I still found myself liking you more and more. That was an odd feeling for me, and I reacted to it by ignoring you or teasing you more. I reacted like a child, and now I'm ready to stop that. Akane," he turned to face her, "I do like you. I like you a whole lot." He looked away again, suddenly shy, "I think I could probably even say that I love you." Ranma sighed and relaxed.

Akane sighed too. "Through the time I've known you, I've never been able to decide what you were really like. There are times when it is you being perverted, and then there are the times when Shampoo and the others are teasing you… You can be stubborn, you can be an idiot, but you can also be noble, and gentle. I think that I was at least as confused about all this as you were. I hate to admit it, but I was so jealous of Shampoo and Ukyo. I feel like they are stronger, cuter, and they cook better than me. Before you say anything about my cooking, I _know_ that they cook better than me. I do my best, but nothing helps. Anyways, I was always so jealous, and it was wrong of me to take it out on you. I've come to realize, especially over the last few days, how much you mean to me. I've realized, and didn't want to admit, that I had come to love you, and I wanted to be the one by your side. Always." Akane didn't take her gaze off of her lap, where her hands were clenched tightly.

Ranma leaned over so their shoulders were touching and put one of his hands over hers. She relaxed slowly. "Akane," he whispered in her ear, "what time is it?"

Akane shivered slightly and took her small watch out of her pocket. "It's 1:52 pm. Are we gonna wait?"

"Yeah." They sat together, watching the second hand tick away.

**1:55 PM**

Akane looked at Ranma anxiously. He was tense, waiting for whatever it was to happen. "Ranma?" Akane asked after about another thirty seconds.

"I'm still me!" Ranma jumped up, "whoo! No more extended periods of time as a girl!" He reached down and pulled Akane up into a tight hug. "Feel better now?" He asked.

"Yes," Akane said into his shoulder. She put her arms around him and hugged him back. Suddenly, he grabbed her and spun her around until he lost his balance and they both fell on the soft grass. They took one look at each other and started laughing. They laughed until tears streamed down there cheeks and their jaws hurt.

"Hey, Ranma," Akane said when her mirth subsided.

"Yes?" He was rubbing his eyes and grinning.

"I don't think I would mind marrying you at all," she smiled at him. Ranma, who had been taking his hands away from his face, froze. Akane crawled over too him and lightly kissed his cheek. She enjoyed watching a faint blush cover his entire face until he shook his head vigorously to cover it.

"Not fair," he told Akane. He snatched her arms and pulled her too him, and kissed her gently on the mouth. She softened and kissed him back. "We should get going now," he said, tapping her nose. She stuck the tip of her tongue out at him.

"I suppose so," she agreed. He stood up then offered a hand to help her up. She took it and they set off. They didn't let go of each other until they reached the Tendo dojo.

"Not a word of this to our dads," Ranma winked at her.

"Of course not," Akane grinned.

**Nabiki**

Nabiki, watching Akane and Ranma from an upstairs window, smiled. _-I wonder how much money I can get from dad for this bit of information? Nah, I'll let them be for now. I'm sure I can make money some other way.-_ She looked out of her window again. _–They look good together.-_ She smiled as she had another thought. _-And the two of them lived happily ever after.-_ Nabiki grinned and closed her curtains.

**The End**

Author's Notes: Well, I hope the conclusion didn't feel too rushed. Actually, I typed 17 pgs of this (it's 20 total) on Christmas Eve, and was going to try to finish it, but I had to leave for a family thing. The next day, my arms were too sore to type. Now that I'm in between high school and college, I don't type for extensive amounts of time. I couldn't even turn a doorknob without pain! It sucked. I couldn't finish this that day or the next, and then I was in another city, then I had to go somewhere else, and basically, I've been too busy to finish! I did say I wanted to finish by the end of Dec, didn't I? Jan 2 is close enough! I hope you have all enjoyed the story!

Ja ne,

SillyNiecy

January 2, 2005

Happy New Year!


End file.
